The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-02-19
The Acme Of Invention

When we take retrOspectiv,
view of the progress of the worlt
and note the multitude of inven
tions that mark human progress
from its beginning to the present
we are overcome with wonder, ant
are impressed with the idea tina
genius must soon cease its effort
to improve the condition of the hu
man race, from the lack of subject!
on which to eXpend it's force.
But just as we are about to eX
claim with Solomon "There is moth
ing new under the SUM-
we are overcome by the an
nouncement that the great invent
or of America, Edison, has perfect
ed a machine for the evolution OF
food articles. from earth, air and
water, without waiting for the
slow process of nature.
In an interview with Il cores
pondent of the Washington Post OF
the IS inst, Mr.. Edison is reported
as saying among other things:
"In ten years my machines will
be used to provide the tables of the
civilized world. Meat will no long
er bekilled and vegetables no longer
grown, except by savages, for my
methods will be so much cheaper.
| shall simplify my machine one
half, yet it can turn out at least
five tons of food of various kinds
every day. l have already made
eighteen kinds of food. / will tell
you something if you will not say
a word until say go ahead All
food of course comes primarily from
the earth. The plants and fruits
we eat come from the moist ground
and the animals we eat live on the
plants, Or on other animals which
the plants have kept alive. SO all
food comes from the elements
stored in the earth, air and water.
You eat Il grain of wheat, for in
stance. The wheat is mainly COM
posed of few simple gases and
salts that last year were lying DOR
mant i'm the earth, the air and the
wates.
1t occurred to me that this pro-
cess might be fastened; that in
stead of waiting year for nature
to collect those elements into an
organic seed could collect them in
an hour, or perhaps few minutes
and arrive at the same result by
combining them organically. This
l have done.
Sugar and starch belong to the
hydrocarbons. and can not under
stand why their manufacture out
of earth and water hasn't been hit
on before. / form all meat COM
pounds by exposing three elements
in red hot state to nitrogen gas,
though use different tlavors, which
/ get from the earth, too. l have
had to bring from Westchester Co.
some argillaceous soil not found
here.
/ can make a wine, and have
made it, with New Jersey earth
and water that no man can tell
from Chateau Yquem.
No change of food is contemplate
ed. Every man can have food of
the kind to which he is accustomed
or which he prefers. 1t will be as
easy to produce cabbages as
oranges, and pork US patridges. We
shall actually'produce these very
things, but in new form. 1t will
be cabbages and oranges that have
never felt the wind and rain, and
pork and patridges that have new
or been alive. We merely take a
short cut and snatch the food from
the earth without giving it the
trouble of growing. 1t will lack,
fibre, which is the only precept'
ible difference.
Nature is full of surprises. For
instance, | make bananas and
out of the very same in
gradients and the method of com
bining differs only trifie."
The above reads like chapter
from the Arabian Nights, but when
we remember the skepticisln en-
tertained toward the inventions of
Fulton and Morse, and the out
growth of their genius and presist-
ent effort who will say that the
IDEAS of Edison are entirely vision
ary.